1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a technique for the union between an aluminum profile and a resin material, and more particularly to resin-composite aluminum profiles having a resin material joined to an aluminum profile, especially heat insulating aluminum profiles having the joined parts of opposed lateral sheet members of an aluminum profile formed with a resin material, a method for the production of the profiles, and an apparatus, particularly a discharge treatment apparatus to be used for the production of the profiles.
The term xe2x80x9caluminum profile[s]xe2x80x9d is used herein to express the shapes or sections of aluminum or an aluminum alloy shaped into a continuous form (hereinafter referred to simply as xe2x80x9cprofile[s]xe2x80x9d) and the term xe2x80x9cresin-composite aluminum profile[s]xe2x80x9d is used to express the concept embracing the heat insulating aluminum shapes or sections (hereinafter referred to simply as xe2x80x9cheat insulating profile[s]xe2x80x9d).
2. Description of the Prior Art
The composite profiles having a resin material joined to the surface or recess of a profile have been used in various technical fields because they are light and excellent in durability, strength, or the like. Particularly, in the technical field of construction, sashes which are provided on either of the exterior and the interior side of building with a double paper sliding door disposing part have been disseminating with a view to affording insulation from heat, abating noise, and preventing dew condensation. The heat insulating profiles are used in the frames of such sashes.
The heat insulating profile is provided between the opposed lateral sheet members thereof with a joined part formed of synthetic resin and, in this structure, allowed to have the opposed lateral sheet members integrally joined by the adhesive force of the resin material and, owing to the intervention of the resin material between the opposed sheet members, enabled to manifest the functions of affording insulation from heat, abating noise, and preventing dew condensation. As the resin material mentioned above, generally a foamable hard polyurethane resin is used as taught in published Japanese Patent Application, KOKAI (Early Publication) No. 54-19, 537, for example.
Generally in the production of the heat insulating profile, a urethane resin material is injected to capacity into a recess provided between the coated, opposed lateral sheet members of a profile and wished to be packed with a resin and thereafter the portion of the profile which forms the recess is cut so that the opposed lateral sheet members are joined to each other solely with the urethane resin.
Since the adhesive force produced by the urethane resin is not sufficient, however, the resin and the profile are liable to peel off each other. Once the separation of this sort occurs, the profile has the problem of emitting a squeak when deformed under an external force and betraying deficiency in strength as well. Further, the heat insulating profile entails the problems of durability such as causing shrinkage of the urethane resin after a protracted use, tending to induce the phenomenon of giving rise to a step in the butt end (discernible by a test of repeating cycles of cooling and heating), and possibly inserting a crack in the face of union and inducing leakage of rain water through the crack. For the purpose of compensating the urethane resin for the shortage of adhesive force, such measures as applying a primer layer to the inner surface of the recess in the profile wished to be filled with resin or mechanically forming a multiplicity of claw parts on the inner surface have been heretofore proposed. These measures, however, entail highly expensive treatments, require introduction of expensive devices, and suffer poor productivity. These treatments are not easily performed uniformly on the inner surface of the recess, particularly so when a hole-forming part for a screw is protruded into the recess.
It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to develop a technique for improving the adhesive force to be generated between a profile and a resin by a relatively simple and inexpensive method and, therefore, allow manufacture of the composite profiles or heat insulating profiles having a profile and a resin joined fast to each other at a low cost with high efficiency.
Particularly, the present invention has for an object thereof the provision of the composite profiles, especially the heat insulating profiles, which allow easy treatment of the recess wished to be filled with resin even when a hole-forming part for screw is protruded into the recess, produce high adhesive strength between a profile and a resin, prevent the profile from emitting a squeak even on exposure to an external force, exhibit high strength, offer strong resistance to the shrinkage of resin, entail virtually no phenomenon of giving rise to a step in the butt end, and excel in durability enough to withstand a protracted use and a highly efficient method for the manufacture thereof.
A further object of the present invention is to develop an apparatus, particularly an electrode for a discharge treatment apparatus, which can be advantageously used for the method described above.
To accomplish the objects described above, the present invention in the basic aspect thereof provides a method for the production of a resin-composite profile characterized by performing a discharge treatment on the surface of the portion of a coated profile destined for union with resin and joining a resin material to the discharge treated portion. When the profile has a recess wished to be packed with resin, the discharge treatment is performed on the inner surface of the recess and the discharge treated recess is filled with the resin material.
The adoption of this method equals the provision of a resin-composite profile which has a resin material joined fast integrally to the discharge treated portion of the coated surface of the profile.
The profile to be effectively used for the present invention may be a profile having a coating film formed by a coating treatment on the surface of a profile of aluminum or an aluminum alloy, generally an extruded profile, or a profile having formed thereon a composite film comprising an anodic oxide film, colored oxide film, or chemical conversion film and a coating film superposed thereon. Thus, a profile furnished on the surface thereof with a coating film is invariably usable for the present invention. The coating treatment involved herein may be performed by any of the heretofore known methods such as, for example, electrodeposition coating, immersion coating, and electrostatic coating.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for the production of a heat insulating profile characterized by performing a discharge treatment on the inner surface of a recess disposed between opposed lateral sheet members of a coated profile and intended to be filled with resin, filling a resin material in the discharge treated recess, and then cutting the portion of the profile forming the recess, thereby obtaining a heat insulating profile having the opposed lateral sheet members integrally joined to each other with the resin material filled as described above. When the profile mentioned above has at least two recesses disposed between the opposed lateral sheet members and destined to be filled with resin, the discharge treatment and the packing of resin material are performed on the interior of one of the recesses and then the portion of the profile forming the other recess is cut when the portion of the profile forming the recess mentioned above is subsequently cut, a resin sheet is superposed on the cut portion of the other recess to occlude this cut portion, and subsequently the discharge treatment and the packing of resin material are performed on the interior of the other recess.
The adoption of this method results in the provision of a heat insulating profile which has the joined part of the opposed lateral sheet members of a coated profile, the joined part (joining member) being formed of a resin material joined fast integrally to the discharge treated portions of the opposed surfaces of the opposed lateral sheet members.
The present invention further provides an apparatus for the production of the composite profile or heat insulating profile mentioned above, characterized by being furnished at least with means for conveying a coated profile, discharge means disposed so as to be freely approximated to the profile on the conveying means for the purpose of performing a discharge treatment on the profile in motion on the conveying means, and resin filling means disposed on the downstream side of the discharge means and adapted to be freely approximated to the profile on the conveying means. The apparatus for the production of a heat insulating profile is furnished on the downstream side of the resin filling means with a device for cutting the resin-filled recess portion of the profile similarly in the standard apparatus for production and, when the profile has at least two recesses, furnished further with a device for sealing the cut recess portion with a resin sheet.
The present invention further provides an electrode for the discharge treatment of a profile, which can be used advantageously for the discharge treatment mentioned above. Preferably the electrode comprises a base part shaped like a rod or a plate and connected to a high-voltage power source and a projecting part adapted to protrude laterally from the lower terminal portion of the base part and confront the inner surface of a recess to be treated when the projecting part is, inserted into the recess of a profile. In a preferred embodiment, the projecting part comprises a plurality of-linear materials having the upper ends thereof bundled and fixed to the lower terminal portion of the base part.
The use of the apparatus of the present invention mentioned above, particularly the use of the aforementioned electrode for the discharge treatment, allows the discharge treatment to be performed effectively and continuously on the part of the surface of a coating film of the profile which is wished to be treated and results in improving the productivity of the composite profile and the heat insulating profile.